“At a universities’ conference this week, the Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, said the review of student top-up fees in England would ‘start this year’. No surprise there. After all, a review in 2009 is required by the legislation that brought in variable tuition fees five years ago. But something about the minister’s emphasis on the word ‘start’ prompted me to ask him whether the review would also ‘finish’ this year. He admitted it would not. This was the first time I had heard public confirmation that the government intends to drag its feet over the fees review …” (more)